Times are tough and weddings are expensive. What's a bride to do? Save money wherever she can, of course!
There are some ideas that brides come up with that drive their wedding vendors CRAZY. Here are 3 big mistakes that brides make that cause wedding vendors to want to pull their hair out.
Can't I Just Buy The Flowers From Costco And Have You Arrange Them?
No. This drives florists c-r-a-z-y. And this is a question that they hear often. Actually, I've heard florists say, "Do brides ask the cake vendor if they can just provide the flour, sugar and eggs and have the cake person bake the cake?!?"
First, florists like to work with suppliers that they know. They want to ensure they're getting a quality product from a company that they trust. This doesn't usually include flowers that were picked from someone's back yard. Also, flowers that come from those big warehouse stores can be unpredictable. They can't guarantee that you're going to get the exact shade of blue hydrangea that you want. You're just going to get what was shipped to them that day. And your florist wants to take time to prep your flowers for arrangements. They want to ensure that your flowers look their best for your wedding. Flowers that have been lying around in a warehouse, out of water, aren't going to give you the best look for your big day. Trust your florist and let them do what they do best!
Can't I Just Buy The Food And Allow You To Cook It?
Nope. Caterers have a reputation to uphold and want to ensure that they are consistently putting out a quality product. For example, your catering company may have a reputation for providing fresh, local, organic ingredients. If you want to provide the food yourself, they have no way to ensure the quality of the items you provide. Also, you won't be saving money purchasing your food items at a local grocery store or grocery warehouse. The retail cost of the food items for your event are much higher than what your caterer is going to pay. Actually, many of your catering costs don't come from the food items themselves, they come from the prep, labor, rental items, staffing and transportation costs. Caterers provide a service and you have to pay for the service. You would be better off cutting your guest list instead of trying to negotiate on who purchases food items. (Beware: Any "caterer" who allows you to buy the food for your wedding isn't a real caterer---they are most likely someone who envisions themselves as a caterer and could potentially ruin your event.)
Can You Tell Us When To Cut The Cake?
Brides who don't want to spend money on a "day of" coordinator, will often turn to the photographer to direct their reception. After all, the photographer does weddings every weekend and knows what is supposed to happen next, right?
Here's the thing: Your photographer is there to shoot your wedding. They aren't there to line up your wedding party and tell you when and how to cut your wedding cake. Photographers LOVE when there is somebody at the wedding who is the designated coordinator. That way, they can focus on giving you great photos...the service they were hired to do! If you don't want to invest in a planner to assist with all of your wedding planning, at least consider someone for the day of the event who can oversee the wedding day activities.
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Karen Clark is a celebrity wedding planner who publishes the "Perfect On A Penny" weekly e-zine. Get your FREE audio seminar: "5 Super Secret Tips That Will Save You $5000 On Your Wedding" at www.PerfectOnAPenny.com
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